Sooah Kwak


Sooah Kwak is a researcher in anthropology and museum professional. Her current research is on leprosy settlement villages in South Korea.

Sooah is a contract Research Scholar at the American Museum of Natural History. Previously, she worked on project Eternal Testimony, an AI archive of Korean “comfort women” oral histories. Sooah holds an MA in Museum Anthropology from Columbia University and a BA in Science, Technology, and Society (STS) and BAS in Art and Technology from Sogang University.

Sooah is also an multimedia artist-activist. Creative projects have been exhibited internationally.

Contact

sooah.k [at] columbia [dot] edu

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Sooah Kwak

is a researcher in anthropology and museum professional. Her current research is on leprosy settlement villages in South Korea.

Contact

sooah.k [at] columbia [dot] edu

Facing the Mannequin


Facing the Mannequin dives into the unique backstories behind the mannequins still used in the Hall of Asian Peoples, which opened in 1980 at the American Museum of Natural History. How effectively do the mannequins in the Hall of Asian Peoples represent their respective cultures? Historically, ethnographic museums have used mannequins to teach their visitors about cultures from around the world. But today most museums find other ways to do this same work. Many think that mannequins cannot represent an entire race, culture or group of people; others are concerned that mannequins freeze cultures in time.

Gardner D. Stout Hall of Asian Peoples
The American Museum of Natural History
05/09/2023 - Ongoing
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